Miss Jaye has been back at the mic and she’s dropped yet another fabulous episode of Janessa After Dark!

In this installment, Miss Jaye starts her commentary by thinking about a word that’s emerged in the discussion of gender identity in a lot of different ways: cisgender. Describing a person who’s gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth, it’s meant to help equalize the playing field among different gender identities, reminding us that being cisgender may be common, but that doesn’t meant that it’s necessarily “normal.” But while this word is useful and necessary in a variety of contexts, it’s also being used in some pretty problematic ways, making Miss Jaye ponder what to do with that word and how she uses it in her own life. What works really well at the macro level (talking about populations of people and social structures in society) doesn’t always work quite as well at the micro level (when we’re talking face to face, and sharing our stories). Miss Jaye also explores her own concept of gender and her evolving identity, both on stage and off! In the end, all she can do is share her perspective and try to create space that is open and respectful for dialogue about this and other issues.

Miss Jaye’s guest for this episode is podcaster, author, and activist Marissa Alexa McCool. The two talk about the shared connection that brought them together and then dive into a wide ranging discussion of McCools many media projects, including two weekly podcasts, 5 published books with a 6th forthcoming later this year, and her dynamic and theatrical speaking engagements. They talk about pop culture and fandom, and why it is that fanboys seem to get so butthurt when a piece of mainstream media isn’t completely tailored to their perspective. Their discussion includes some politics and the dumpster fire that is Trump’s presidency (McCool talks about her book The PC Lie that she says “may not be the best book about the Trump presidency, but it was probably the first!”), as well as more light-hearted explorations of pop culture, creating a virtual “Trans Happy Hour,” and why North Dakotas should be put in a bubble and studied.

For more information of Marissa Alexa McCool and her works and speaking engagements, you can visit her website HERE!

You can find this and other episodes of Janessa After Dark on SoundCloud HERE and HERE, or by searching for them on iTunes and Stitcher!